Advice on 2 die sets

[globemaster3]

I am just getting into rifle reloading and need some advice on which of 2 die sets to purchase. I am reloading 6.8 SPC to be used in ARs.

Option 1: RCBS Full Length Die Set - Group A.
https://www.natchezss.com/rcbs-full-...m-rem-spc.html

Option 2: Hornady Custom Grade New Dimension Series III Rifle 2-Die Set

https://www.natchezss.com/hornady-cu...m-rem-spc.html

I have zero experience in rifle reloading, so any advice would be appreciated.

[Nathan]

I prefer Hornady because I get low 0.003” max runout when fl sizing, lock rings are great, sliding sleeve seater, good price, free bullets.

[Shotgun Slim]

I have both types and I really prefer the Hornady. Nathan pretty well covered it above...

[Scorch]

I have used both types, both work. RCBS is good stuff and very reliable, Hornady has a few "gee whiz" type features and also very good, and both turn out good ammo. Flip a coin, only a few bucks difference in price.

[globemaster3]

Thanks for the insight gents!

[Nathan]

Scorch...it sounds like you prefer RCBS....Can you tell us a bit why?

I can tell you why I do not like them. I may be over stating it. I had a set of 40 S&W dies from RCBS that would give inconsistent oal’s. It was so bad that I couldn’t keep it under 0.02” variation. Who knows exactly why. I didn’t call RCBS, just pitched the dies, if I remember right.

[Geezerbiker]

I have die sets from RCBS, Lee and Hornady. I had a bad experience with a borrowed set of Hornady .300 Blackout dies. They didn't have a shoulder vent hole and would lube dent cases when forming from .223 brass. I ended up sticking a case. Since I already had all the stuff in a stuck case removal set in my tool collection, I was able to extract the stuck case but I trashed the decapping rod. I had to spend way more than I wanted to on a borrowed set of dies so when the time came to buy new dies, I went with RCBS.

Lee dies are usually a good deal if money is tight and they don't charge a fortune for dies in odd ball calibers like RCBS does but they're not as nicely finished and take more care to keep in good shape. It's not a big deal but something to think about. Another downside to Lee is that you need to keep wrenches in your reloading area to take the decapping rod out for cleaning and if you break the pin or otherwise damage the decapping rod, it's more money and time to get it replaced.

RCBS dies are beautifully hard chrome finished and their warranty and customer service is second to none. I was given 2 old sets of RCBS .270Win dies. On full length and the other neck size only. The decapping rods were beat to hell by someone that obviously didn't know what they were doing and I couldn't find the replacement parts on line. So with credit card in hand, I called RCBS customer service to order a couple decapper rod assemblies. RCBS replaced them under warranty even though I told them the whole story and I was willing to pay for them.

RCBS dies usually cost a little more but They're worth it.

About the one set of Hornady dies I still have, well they're the only ones that make dies for the .17 Hornady Hornet and that was a round, I just had to have in my collection. I still haven't burnt though all my .17 HH factory ammo but I'm hoping for a better experience than with the .300 blackout dies...

Tony

[Crankylove]

I’ve got RCBS, Hornady, Lee, and Pacific dies on my bench.

They all work.

I grew up using RCBS loading with dad. When I started buying my own, I stuck with them , ‘cause that’s what I’d always used. Over the last few years though, I’ve started going with Hornady for my new dies, simply for their decapping dies. I prefer the stronger one piece setup, versus the separate pin style of the RCBS.

Other than that, they all work the same.

[Nathan]

I’m not sure I understand. On a Hornady die, the expander unscrews and the pin is a separate piece.

I do like the threaded decapper on a collet.

[Crankylove]

I’m not sure I understand. On a Hornady die, the expander unscrews and the pin is a separate piece.

You are correct, I should have worded that better.

The decapping/expanding pin in the Hornady dies is a much beefier setup than the RCBS style. RCBS has a replaceable/removable 1/16” ish diameter pin on the bottom off the rod, held in place by the threaded expander nut/ball. It works, but the pin can be a bit fragile, bending or breaking with off center primers, or just primers than are kinda stuck in the pocket.

Part of my bias, is also that I’ve had three of the RCBS decappers strip the threads on the expander nut and/or the rod, while sizing cases. Cases were lubed and just resizing after firing, not necking up or doing anything abnormal. This left the decapping pin and expander nut in the case, and me with useles dies until parts could be obtained.

The Hornady setup is still two pieces, but has never bent or broken on me, or ever required adjustment after my initial setup.

[kilotanker22]

I have used most die sets. My preferences are Forster and RCBS. They seem to have a more polished finish on the interior of the die than Redding, Lee or Hornady dies. Of course this is only with my small sample of about 20 die sets from Lee, Hornady, Redding and RCBS and one die set from Forster.

I have used mostly RCBS and I have never stripped the exapander ball off although I have broken a few decapping pins.

All of them are sufficient though.

[Unclenick]

I suspect any major manufacturer's product will be satisfactory for starting out. There are a number of specialty dies available, like competition/benchrest seaters from Redding and Forster that may appeal to you as a later addition if you start trying to shrink groups eben further. But once you get bit by that bug, there'll be more than just one additional die involved.

Since you are a beginner, another possibility for a few dollars more is the Lyman MSR set. It gives you a small-base sizing die, a seating die, a separate taper crimp die (you will likely find you don't need to crimp, but it is there if you have an issue), and a finished round gauge all in one kit. The small base die is something not necessary for most folks, though you occassionally see reports of AR's that just won't feed if the owner doesn't use one. It can shorten case life a little bit by resizing more than is strictly necessary for most, but it will come as close to guaranteeing feed reliability as you can can, and is one less area for a beginner to have to troubleshoot if there is a chamber or fit issue.

[Nathan]

The Hornady setup is still two pieces, but has never bent or broken on me, or ever required adjustment after my initial setup.

And this is what makes me happy with Hornady dies, in general.

[Geezerbiker]

My experience with Hornady dies is the opposite of yours. IF RCBS had made .17 Hornet dies, I would have gone with them. Since it's a Hornady caliber, I had no other choice... My experience with their .300 blackout dies left me cold.

Tony

[Nathan]

Can you be specific so others might learn from your experience?

[ed308]

I've been reloading 6.8 since 2012. I bought a Redding die set after it was recommended to me on the 6.8 Forum. I couldn't find Redding's two die set at the time, so I bought Redding's 3 Die set. I don't use the crimp die that came with the set. Instead, I use a Lee Factory Crimp and apply just a little crimp to the cartridge. The sizer is a full length sizing die. I reload 4 different brands of 6.8 ARs and never had a problem with the FL sizer in my die set. The dies produce accurate ammo (.5 MOA) with little run out. And thats loading on a Dillon 650 progressive with Accurate 2200 powder.

I realize the Redding die set is double what the other die sets mentioned cost. But you get what you pay for, especially when it comes to accuracy.

I plan to move my 6.8 production to my Dillon 550 eventually and see if I can get even more accuracy out of the setup. I use a A&D Fx120i scale with Auto Trickler/Throw with the 550 and manually drop the powder via a funnel.

If I were buying today, I get this two die set plus the Lee Factory Crimp die:

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.c...ngth-2-die-set

[Geezerbiker]

Originally Posted by Nathan

Can you be specific so others might learn from your experience?

Scroll up for my previous post on this subject...

Tony

[globemaster3]

Thanks for all the additional information!

Ed, I’ll look at that set as well.

[Nathan]

I had a bad experience with a borrowed set of Hornady .300 Blackout dies. They didn't have a shoulder vent hole and would lube dent cases when forming from .223 brass. I ended up sticking a case. Since I already had all the stuff in a stuck case removal set in my tool collection, I was able to extract the stuck case but I trashed the decapping rod. I had to spend way more than I wanted to on a borrowed set of dies so when the time came to buy new dies, I went with RCBS.

Sorry, I missed that. Isn’t there a forming die in that process. I forget. How’s the case forming going with the RCBS dies?

[Geezerbiker]

Just fine. I've never had a RCBS die set that I regretted owning.

Once a long time ago I had a set of .243 Win dies that would bend the decapping pin about one in 10 times I used it. After complaining about it on line someone suggested calling RCBS customer support. This was the first time I'd called them and I was amazed at how friendly they were. With out any hassle they sent me a new decapping rod assembly and that solved the problem.

Another time I couldn't find taper crimp 9mm dies in my area so I called and asked if they knew of a place in Portland that had them (and yes that Portland.) They told me to buy the roll crimp dies and they'd swap out the crimp die. I sent them a stripped die and they sent me back a taper crimp die packed in a RCBS die box with 2 bullet seaters.

On the other hand Hornady support told me that I was using their dies wrong and offered no help with the problem.

Tony

[GeauxTide]

Have owned every brand and have eventually replaced old Lyman and Lee with RCBS and Hornady.

[ed308]

What brand barrel do you have? 6.8 is the reason I got into reloading about eight years ago. I reload 6.8 barrels from ARP, PSA and LWRC (very limited). Might be able to give you some load information based on the brand of barrel you have, especially if it's a ARP barrel.

[BJung]

I own and use mostly RCBS dies and use their competition dies. I like these dies for two reasons. First, you can drop your bullet into the sleeve through a window and it'll like the bullet up. I tend to spin my casing 3x and seat in increments to ( as claimed ) reduce runout. Secondly, I've read articles like on Midway.com that says you can interchange the parts. So, you can covert your 7RemMag for example to a .308 by buying a few parts. I don't know how difficult this is because I have more than one competition die already. I haven't broken out the Forster Competition die sets out because I'm not far enough along on my test loads. This is a top end die that I read the US Army Sniper School uses. So, I figure, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. This is not to say the RCBS dies is a slouch. In the book, Long-Range Precision Rifle by Anthony Cirincione depicts an RCBS Competition Die. I haven't used my Lee Dies too for the same reason as the Forster Dies. But, I did have a custom collet die made for my 7.7 Arisaka and it works fine. I have yet to compare loads resized with this die and my RCBS set.

and have purchased Lee and Forster dies to compare to them.

[Bart B.]

Ed308, why are you using a crimp on case mouths?

[ed308]

I do a light crimp on all of my AR loads. I know some some don't. But I prefer it from experience. The Lee Factory Crimp die doesn't seem to effect accuracy. I adjust maybe a 1/2 turn so very light.